


Drop a Stone 2020 version Part 50 BC to sometime around the Collapse, with some potential time travel.

by Smoke_Bramandin



Series: Drop a Stone [3]
Category: Legacy of Kain
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:33:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22617943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smoke_Bramandin/pseuds/Smoke_Bramandin
Summary: Janos' failure to die when he was supposed to left its mark on the world, but History resists alteration.  The events of Blood Omen were the most important, but how can Kain and Raziel avoid changing young Kain's life when they are sheltered from History's pull?
Series: Drop a Stone [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1605454
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

It was fifty years before the collapse of the Pillars. Finneas and many other vampires had been evacuated to Nosgoth’s future, after the collapse of Kain’s empire. All of the vampires left behind, including Vorador, did not know what was coming. Soon, a fledgling Kain would murder the boy-king William the Just and ignite a successful genocide against the vampires.

Sarah had not evacuated yet. She was not needed to change history, but her presence in this time period allowed Kain to stay as well without his enemies noticing as long as he stayed close. She listlessly fiddled with a block from a Jenga set she’d had made.

“Do you want to play?” Raziel asked.

Sarah shook her head. “I really wish that we had figured out a safe way to keep the genocide from happening. Vorador is going to be pissed.”

Kain frowned at the clock. “Something has gone wrong. If my plans were successful, I should have gotten news by now.”

“What plans?” Raziel asked.

“You know that the Soul Reaver must be returned to this time for any of this to happen,” Kain said. “Whether by my own hand or at my direction, I intended to receive word almost an hour ago.”

“Oh quit whining. I had to calm your sword down,” Sarah whispered. “Raziel, meet me at the Sarafan Keep. I want your help with Moebius.”

Sarah had heard the echo of the whisper. “Well, don’t keep me waiting.”

The Sarafan keep was abandoned, but soon it would be the Headquarters of Moebius’ mercenary army. Raziel felt a temporal disturbance before Sarah arrived.

“I was lying about having to calm him down,” Sarah said as she brushed the sword resting on her back. “He’s not having a good night and doesn’t want to talk to you, but he said it’s more comfortable than he thought it would be.”

“Then why were you late?” Raziel asked.

“Wasn’t it fun to watch Kain squirm?” Sarah asked.

“Have you become deceitful?” Raziel asked.

“I asked permission to play that prank,” Sarah said. “My original idea was to admit that I was waiting for the hell of it and call him a pompous tyrant, but the Kain you know now isn’t ready for me to show so much spine, and the current Sarah would have gotten hurt. I am hiding how upset I was, so this small revenge is as much as I can get away with.”

“You are less straightforward than I’m used to,” Raziel said.

“If time is a river, then my long hours with Moebius are an oxbow. Kain almost trusts his successor, my advisor, but the role of Timestreamer means always being unclear unless you want people to feel like they’ve been forced. Some of their personalities must have rubbed off on me.”

“Sarah, I need you to assure me that this isn’t some sort of trick,” Raziel said.

“My advisor wanted me to rehearse, but I thought it would sound fake. I’m going off script and I’m not really equipped to juggle probability,” Sarah said. “I can tell you what we’re supposed to do, what we shouldn’t do, and what you can get away with if you’re so inclined.”

“Don’t bother,” Moebius said. “Do you know how difficult it is to arrive before I have gotten a message?”

“Obviously easier than waiting until I’ve wrote it. Now I’m not going to.” Sarah unstrapped the watch from her wrist and tossed it to Moebius. “I expected you to be early, but this is just rude.”

“You bring enough damage just by existing, but deliberately causing tears is beyond petty,” Moebius said. “You could have just left the sword and the staff here. There is no purpose in confronting me.”

Sarah laughed and held out her talon. “I’ll write that stupid note for you, but I’m not done playing just because you don’t like being the victim in the game.”

Moebius tossed the watch back to her. “You think you can out-maneuver me?”

“I had a good teacher. I could safely bring you to our side right now, but you made a pitiful vampire,” Sarah strapped the watch back to her wrist. “Hey Raziel, want to see a neat trick? It’s safe to kill him as long as you don’t damage his soul. His master has power over life and death, and it…” She put a talon to her lips, signaling that they shouldn’t say ‘squid.’ “will keep reviving him as long as he stays useful.”

“Is that why you’re so calm about Kain beheading you?” Raziel asked. “As tempting as it is, killing you wouldn’t be very fun if you’re not going to stay dead.”

“He also doesn’t need his genitals for anything,” Sarah said.

“Don’t be crass,” Raziel replied. “I wouldn’t want to sully my claws.”

“This is pathetic,” Moebius said. “If I truly did teach the game to you, then I should have told you that you’re lousy at it.”

“Fine, let’s go, Raziel,” Sarah said.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Moebius asked.

“No. I decided not to give him to you,” Sarah said.

“What?” Moebius rushed forward to block their path. “You can’t. The damage to History will be monumental. Raziel, you may become expelled from the timeline.”

“Is that all? From a selfish perspective, it’s no worse than what I’m destined to suffer,” Raziel said.

“Things would get a bit frayed, but a few careful moves will keep the important things intact,” Sarah said. “Kain won’t be happy with me, but he will allow me to clean up the mess it will cause.”

“Please, don’t do this,” Moebius begged.

“Shut up.” Sarah lunged forward and snapped the Timestreamer’s neck. She walked several paces down the hall before telling Raziel, “This is just a bluff. He’s going to lose sleep if he believes we’re reckless enough to start wrecking the timeline. I’ll give up if you tell me to, though.”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying Moebius’ suffering.” Raziel stared at the Soul Reaver’s eye sockets as he followed Sarah. “Can it see?”

“He can, but it’s hard. He usually doesn’t bother. He can also hear, but it’s muffled. He notices being swung around sometimes, but it’s like someone without wings noticing a breeze.” Sarah said. “He’s not looking at you. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it feels like he’s asleep.”

“You showed me what happens in the Eternal Prison, and how nothing can be a horrible torture,” Raziel said.

“He didn’t want to talk to you because his lunacy looks worse than it is. I tried to keep him entertained and lucid, but he got angry at me. He had hallucinations for a while, but he didn’t care,” Sarah said. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but it doesn’t really matter.”

“It’s almost comforting, to know that being imprisoned won’t be as bad as I’m imagining,” Raziel said.

“It’s important that you stay free until you’re ready to go,” Sarah said. “If you don’t fight, it will be almost peaceful. I’m sorry that we couldn’t figure out how to save you without damning the world.”

They came to the top of the keep, and Sarah wrote her message to Moebius in the dust on the floor. She unstrapped her watch, looked at it, and added the time before setting the watch down. 

Moebius came into the room. “That was unnecessary.”

“Almost,” Sarah said. “You might have stopped bothering us if I’d asked nicely, but you don’t really deserve courtesy.”

“I can tell that you don’t really want to cause havoc on the timeline. You wouldn’t have tried to give me your watch if you weren’t willing to commit to a path of chaos,” Moebius said.

“I hadn’t decided yet,” Sarah said.

“Can you honestly say that you don’t want to give me the sword?” Moebius asked.

“I don’t want to give you the sword,” Sarah said. “But I am tired of this. Letting things play out is the safest and easiest path.”

Moebius turned to Raziel. “I also need my staff back. It’s still at the bottom of the lake.”

“Technically he doesn’t, but Vorador will be in a lot more pain when he dies if Moebutt can’t use it to hold him down,” Sarah said. “Make him ask nicely.”

“Please, Raziel. I cannot repay the favor you would be doing for me,” Moebius said.

“That made me wish that I still had the ability to puke,” Raziel said.

Sarah unclasped her cloak and laid it on the floor. Raziel was shocked to see that she had wings. They were much like his had been, but hers crossed against her back. She laid the Soul Reaver on her cloak and said, “This is goodbye.” She then wrapped her cloak around the sword. “Keep your filthy hands off him, Moebutt.”

Sarah unfolded her wings as she walked to the balcony. “Meet me on the road?”

“Of course,” Raziel said. “I have questions that cannot go unanswered.”


	2. Chapter 2

Raziel dove into the lake to retrieve Moebius’ staff. It was still where he left it, but it was almost completely covered by mud. He threw it down on the shoreline, confident that it would be found and returned to its owner. He didn’t know that a pack of abnormally smart wolves would find it first, but that wasn’t his problem.

Sarah was perched on a rock at the side of the road. She rubbed one wing against the other distractedly.

“I would never have forgiven you if you left without explaining those,” Raziel said.

“Remember when you stabbed me?” Sarah asked. “The Reaver bound my soul to my body. If Janos hadn’t turned me, I would have been reborn as a Razielim.”

“Sarah, I didn’t intend for that to happen,” Raziel said.

“You intended to kill me.” Sarah strode toward Raziel. “At least it worked out. I don’t quite look like the others, but I can outfly them. Being a hybrid has its advantages.”

“The others?” Raziel walked alongside Sarah when she started moving down the road.

“Kain had a pang of guilt and sent some of your clan to the refuge so they wouldn’t go extinct.” Sarah looked like she was going to say more, but then decided against it. “Don’t tell my previous incarnation that I’m part Razielim.”

“Ever?” Raziel asked. “I’m sure she’d figure it out eventually.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Just act like I hadn’t told you until there’s a reason to tell me. Obviously I’m going to wonder how I can be un-killed.”

“I’ll try to keep it a surprise, but you know how obnoxious the wraith blade can be,” Raziel said. 

“I miss that. Nothing better than trying to share important memories and it decides to earworm Jesus Christ Superstar,” Sarah said.

Raziel shuddered. “Please tell me that there isn’t a religion about me.”

“So far, so good. There are a couple songs and a few tales, but no one tries praying to you. At least not where Kain will hear of it.” Sarah kicked at a pebble. “When you heal Kain of his corruption, he’ll become capable of feeling truly sorry for everything he’s done to you. At one point it seemed like he would die from grief. I practically had to force feed him for a month.”

“It seems like killing him would have been more merciful,” Raziel said.

Sarah nodded. “Speaking of mercy killing, we’re planning to capture Moebius after Kain kills him and the squid revives him. You’ll be forgiven if you get to him first.”

“For what purpose?” Raziel asked.

“His replacement and Kain both want him punished for his crimes,” Sarah said. “If he survives that, they’ll start hurting him for personal slights.”

“I would not want to stand in the way of that,” Raziel said. “So the Pillars will be restored. What about the squid?”

“Its whimpering got really pathetic right before the end,” Sarah said. “It wasn’t the Wheel of Fate, it was a parasite that had latched on. There is still a cycle of death and rebirth, but it isn’t being controlled. Not everyone has free will yet, but eventually they will.”

“Are you sure that it is dead?” Raziel asked.

Sarah hesitated. “It isn’t. We spent a century making sure that there weren’t any other bits of it, but Kain has the last piece of it in a bottle on his desk. He threatened to make me responsible for keeping an eye on it if it doesn’t shut up soon.”

“Why not just destroy it completely?” Raziel asked.

“We’re afraid of what will happen,” Sarah said.

Raziel sighed. “For once, I wish that you had been dishonest with me.”

“I would have had to tell you that I was lying,” Sarah said. “If you had told me that we killed the squid, I would have been confident that nothing bad would happen. But we just don’t know. The only thing we have to go on is Kain having no memory of me going back in time to borrow the Soul Reaver and kill that last bit.”

“Only the Soul Reaver can hurt it?” Raziel asked.

“We’ll figure out how to poison it so it can’t grow back; we did figure it out and we don’t need to be told how. It’s actually based off of the immortality part of the blood curse,” Sarah said. “Other weapons were created, not as good as the Reaver, but we released them once the squid seemed diminished.”

“Did they also go mad?” Raziel asked.

“They were wraiths. Most of them weren’t lucid to begin with,” Sarah said.

Raziel thought carefully and wondered if he really wanted to know more about the future. “Are the Hylden still a threat?”

“On purpose,” Sarah said. “Kain lets them out in waves if they consent to his rule. He’s disappointed at their good behavior.”

Raziel remembered the early days of the empire. Without the in-fighting and lesser vampires scrabbling for prestige, their lives would have become stagnant. An enemy that could not be tamed as easily as humans would provide entertainment without the vampires descending into civil war again.

“Is there anything else you need to tell me?”

“A few more things, are you mostly satisfied with the way things will turn out? If you’re thinking about making any changes, please tell me so I can tell you about any problematic consequences,” Sarah said.

“I disagree with some of the decisions that have been made, but I respect that others have a right to make choices,” Raziel said. “I wish that I could see the state of the world for myself.”

“Raziel, this is important,” Sarah said. “You told me to tell you not to come to that time period.”

“Why not?” Raziel asked.

“That’s the problem with looping a message. Since you never told me why, I can’t tell you why.” Sarah pulled a notebook from her pocket dimension. “This is mostly useless, but I’ll get a kick out of it. Make sure I make a copy and don’t try to bring the original notebook back. It will get infinitely old and I’m told that being around something when it pops is not fun.”

Raziel took the notebook and put it into his own pocket dimension. “What is it?”

“Things I learned from the Timestreamers,” Sarah said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was originally here was moved to part 7 of part 2. I like this version better, and I must have written it and then forgot about it.

“You can’t be serious,” Vorador said.

“If I must explain it again…” Kain said.

“No, I understand that I need to make a past version of Raziel want to go back five centuries. It’s just the way you want me to say it,” Vorador said. “Only an idiot wouldn’t see through this.”

“I was rather disoriented at the time,” Raziel snapped.

“I apologize for the offense,” Vorador said. “The Pillars corrupted. I’m glad that you sent Janos to a time after you repair the damage.”

It turned out that the Hylden’s plan was a bit more open than needing only Janos. In a timeline where he was the only surviving vampire, he was also the only creature that could make it past the defenses to the Hylden City. Instead of having to remove every person with the ability to teleport to the city, Chixiksi had overloaded the city’s power source to destroy any chance of using it to create a portal into the demon realm. Hylden would still be able to possess mortals in Nosgoth, but they could not build a gateway.

Janos also didn’t need to die to set prophecy in motion. Chixiksi was able to remove his heart and replace it with a cloned organ. The procedure had made Kain nervous, but there seemed to be no damage to the timeline or his power. Even curing Janos of his immortality didn’t have an effect at that point.

“This must be where we part ways until I meet you for the first time,” Kain said.

“And when will that be?” Vorador asked.

“In about thirty years,” Kain said. “You may want to remember not to let too many of your brides toy with me.”

“If there are any left by then,” Vorador grumbled. “You knew that one of our kind would be stupid enough to kill a beloved king.”

“It couldn’t be helped,” Kain said. “Believe me, if the consequences for preventing it weren’t so dire, I would have.”

Vorador sneered. “They would have to have been pretty bad to consider this the better outcome.”

“I’m sorry,” Kain said. “And thank you for all you have done already.”

Some time ago, Kain had realized that Malek might not be enough of a challenge if he remained human. The Sarafan also had not dwindled as they were meant to. It was only by asking Vorador to cripple the paladin that history started flowing down the proper course. With the loss of his legs, the only way to make him an appropriate watchdog of the Circle again was for Mortanious to fuse him with his armor.

Kain wished that Vorador didn’t have to die, but the Lord of Termogent was the closest thing he had to a sire. It was Vorador’s death that helped spur him to reject the sacrifice.

Sarah hugged Vorador. “Try to stay alive, okay?”

Vorador grudgingly returned the hug. “I survived the Sarafan, I’m sure I’ll survive this.”

“So what now?” Sarah asked.

“We wait,” Kain said. “I for one do not need to see the Pillars being corrupted again.”

“Jenga?” Sarah suggested.

Due to Kain and Raziel having talons, the rules had been modified to allow for mental manipulation of the pieces. Technically, the official rules didn’t account for psychic powers, but they also assumed that the players didn’t have them. Even with claws, vampires were probably more dexterous than humans. They could move without trembling when they were calm, and the game could go abnormally long.

Kain toppled the tower when he flinched from Nupraptor’s psychic assault, but neither Sarah nor Raziel commented on it as they set up the game again. 

“Happy birthday, Kain,” Sarah murmured.

“There’s nothing happy about it,” Kain said.

“I thought about baking you a cake, but Raziel talked me out of it,” Sarah said.

Kain frowned. “What good would a cake do me?”

“Wanton destruction of baked goods can be fun,” Sarah said.

That night, Sarah and Raziel went hunting in parallel. Raziel postponed his feeding as long as he could because it fed the squid, but it also caused his borrowed bodies to decay. He was due for a new vessel, and a fresh vampire victim was ideal. Anyone who knew how to listen to the ambient noise of a village could tell that the residents were restless.

Raziel dropped into the spectral realm to hunt sluagh. He hated to wipe out his master’s competition, but he hoped that wherever they came from, their energy didn’t suit the wheel as much as human souls. Among the whimpering and moaning, Raziel heard Sarah scream his name. He rushed towards the sound, and found her hovering in the spectral realm.

When she saw Raziel she said, “A pack of hunters killed me.”

“Calm down, you will be all right,” Raziel said. “Your soul is bound to your body; you will be able to return to it. I’ll explain once I’ve unkilled you.”

Though Sarah’s soul didn’t have lungs, the memory remained and she breathed hard.

Raziel quickly found a suitable vessel, and then he found the hunters gathered around Sarah’s body. He killed them and then drew out the spear they had used to kill her.

Raziel was alarmed when Sarah lunged at him, but she buried her face against his chest and began sobbing. He gently pulled her away and pointed toward the dead bodies. “Feed quickly so we can get out of here.”

After Sarah had drained them, she grabbed Raziel and cast her Sanctuary spell.

“Do you remember when you were human and I stabbed you?” Raziel asked. “The Reaver tried to turn you, but it couldn’t complete the process. You are really a hybrid between Janos and myself.”

“Turned vampire and necromantic vampire,” Sarah said. “I wonder if it’s going to cause any problems.”

“I met your future incarnation, and she seemed content with her condition,” Raziel said. “I didn’t ask why she didn’t want me to warn you.”

“I’m sure I’ll figure it out,” Sarah said. “Do you think Kain will have a problem with it?”

“I shall make sure that he doesn’t,” Raziel said.

“I’ve inherited his corruption, haven’t I?” Sarah asked.

“You know how I can remedy that,” Raziel said.


	4. Chapter 4

As Raziel travelled to Avernus, he had to admit that he was getting tired of existing. So many times over the centuries he caught Sarah and Kain arguing how to save him, but he had grown comfortable with the idea of giving up and letting his Destiny happen.

Part of it was that he got to know his future incarnation. It was as deranged as ever, but it had developed a sadistic playfulness. It made Raziel feel like coming out on the other side of madness wouldn’t be so bad.

There was one problem. The Soul Reaver had stolen some of Sarah’s memories and left them laying around Raziel’s mind. It would have been a harmless enough prank if she hadn’t had such a horrible taste in music. For the moment, Raziel could not stop thinking about It Only Makes Me Laugh by Oingo Boingo, and he hated the cheerful song with a passion.

“Why would I do this to myself?” He muttered. 

If the Reaver was even aware that its host was suffering, it gave no indication. Raziel lightly touched its mind and found that it was thinking about the end of a certain video game. The sound that the developers had chosen for a sword slicing through an eyeball was distinctive.

“Soon,” Raziel said. He was looking forward to that parasite being destroyed. He didn’t know how Kain would manage it, but that wasn’t his concern. Sometimes pawns, even promoted ones, had to be sacrificed to win the game.

It was just past midnight when Raziel entered Avernus. He was a week early and the demons had not yet set the city aflame. The fledgling Kain had not yet claimed the Soul Reaver, but avoiding the blade would not be difficult. A more pressing concern was avoiding the Guardians Azimuth and Mortanious. He stole into the catacombs and located the pit where Hash’ak’gik was worshipped.

Mortanious was sitting on the edge of the pit, one of his legs dangling over the edge. “Are they preventing you from sleeping, as well?”

“I cannot recall the last time I was allowed to rest,” Turel said.

“I regret that I caused this to happen,” Mortanious said. “My end will come soon, and our enemy will likely have no more use for you. I wonder how long it will take you to starve, vampire.”

“I remember stories of the Pillars collapsing, Guardian,” Turel said. “I stood before their ruin for a thousand years before Kain abandoned us, and he was gone for another thousand years while the world continued to crumble. Your savior will fail you.”

“I have been alive for longer than that,” Mortanious said. “It seems like a fitting symmetry that the healing takes as long as the harm.”

Turel chuckled darkly, his deep voice echoing through the chamber. “I know that you are mad, Guardian. I have seen that madness in my own sire. Balance will never be restored.”

Mortanious stood and left. Raziel waited for a time, and then leapt into the pit.

Turel’s enormous ears twitched. “I hear you.”

“Hello, Turel,” Raziel said.

Turel growled. “So the rumors were true. You dared to defy Kain’s will. I heard what you did to the others.”

“I’m told that killing you would be merciful.” Raziel’s animosity for Turel began even before his execution, and he could cherish a grudge.

“If you expect me to go quietly, you are mistaken,” Turel said.

“None of our other brothers did.” Raziel drew the Reaver. 

Raziel knew how the fights with his brothers went in the video game, but in reality they were only superficially similar. Melchiah perished when he was impaled with a single spiked gate. Raziel had used a flame thrower against Zephon. Rahab had stupidly become beached while chasing Raziel and died when the sun reached him a few hours later. Dumah did follow Raziel into a furnace, but it functioned differently. Turel’s pit had no gongs to hurt him with sound.

As with the other brothers, Turel’s size made it so the Reaver could do little more than scratch him. Raziel scrambled up the side of the pit, but he kept having to jump off the wall to dodge his brother’s telekinetic blasts. Large chunks of rock and dirt fell from the walls. 

Raziel was wondering how he could harm Turel, but then he heard rushing water behind the wall of the pit. He climbed toward the sound, and another telekinetic blast caused cracks that started to leak. 

Turel tried to scramble onto some of the rubble, but the water was inches from his feet.

Raziel strode through the ankle-deep water as the leaks eroded the sides of the cracks. “A fitting end for one who bore me into the Abyss.”

Turel growled, then bowed his head. “I am beaten.” He stared at the leaking wall and released another telekinetic blast. The pit was flooded within seconds.

Raziel was slammed against a wall by the force of the water, but he was barely stunned and he managed to consume Turel’s soul.

Even though Raziel became immune to water’s corrosive effects, he still disliked being wet. The worst part was that his scarf became heavy. He dug his claws into the side of the pit as he hauled himself up.

Mortanious stood at the top, staring at Raziel in interest. “So you’ve revealed yourself at last.”

“I’m not what you think I am,” Raziel said. “I have what I came for, so there’s no reason to fight.”

“I was schooled in the ancient prophecies,” Mortanious said.

“Spare me the lecture. We’ve turned those prophecies inside out and discovered that they’re misleading,” Raziel said. “The only thing you could possibly tell me is why you allowed yourself to be used.”

“We thought that we would find an ally in the enemies of the vampires.” Mortanious convulsed and his eyes glowed green. “Do not fight your Destiny, Raziel.”

“I will do as I please. I’m not unsympathetic to your plight, but this world is fragile,” Raziel said. “We will fight you if forced to, but a peaceful solution might someday be possible.”

The Hylden released Mortanious, and he asked, “We?”

“Kain and I are cooperating. As I said, I am not what you think I am.”

“But he is meant to destroy you,” Mortanious said.

“That is a complicated story. My brother spoke the truth about how long it will take to heal the world, and I will not see the result.” Raziel turned to walk away. “You could not have avoided this.”


	5. Chapter 5

It was roughly a week after the Pillars became corrupted. Moebius arrived at Avernus Cathedral in a flash of light, carrying the Soul Reaver. He did not have long to wait until Mortanious found him.

“How did you manage to repair the blade?” Mortanious asked.

“The same way it was broken,” Moebius said. “I take it that your attempt to form an alliance with the enemy of the vampires didn’t go as you had planned?”

“You knew,” Mortanious said. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

“Of course I knew,” Moebius said. “Events were already in motion long ago, and nothing could have prevented a consequence that was so deeply tied to its cause.”

“Stop speaking in riddles,” Mortanious said.

“The prophecies are about to come true,” Moebius said. “Rather, the new Balance Guardian needs to come of age first.”

“The Pillars managed to call Ariel’s successor?” Mortanious asked.

“Yes, and he will kill all of us,” Moebius said. “Enjoy what time you have left.”

“Is that why you gave Azimuth that toy?” Mortanious asked. “The Scion of Balance will be a vampire, and thanks to your rabble-rousing the only one left may be the one we are keeping prisoner in the catacombs.”

“Do not ask Turel to turn him,” Moebius said. “I’m sure that another way will present itself when needed.”

Nearly thirty years later, Moebius’ prediction came true. A messenger from the city came to Mortanious’ private home and demanded an audience. He bore a large metal box.

The messenger spoke in a strange accent that Mortanious didn’t recognize. “It is the Heart of Darkness. Find Kain and use this to turn him into a vampire.”

“How do you know about Kain?” Motanious asked. He had found the new Guardian several years ago and watched from a distance as he grew into a man.

The messenger acted like he was trying to shake off mind control. “I know some details about your life. The vampires should have told you everything as soon as they found you.”

“Are you one of the Unspoken?” Mortanious asked.

“Janos passed his curse onto me,” the messenger said. “You must have imagined it would be much worse than it is.”

“Did you have a choice?” Mortanious asked. He had the sense now that he was talking to a woman.

“I would have died, and I know what the afterlife is like,” the messenger said.

Mortanious’ duties had taken him into the spirit realm on more than one occasion, and he had never learned to completely block out the screams. He suddenly realized that by turning Kain into a vampire, he was inviting his own death. “Does Kain succeed in restoring Balance?”

“I can’t tell you that.” The messenger closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they widened in fear.

Mortanious gestured toward the door, and the messenger ran away. Mortanious had learned not to take it personally. Even though he looked human, his face was gaunt. He put his hand on the box and felt the heart beating.

Years later, Mortanious walked onto the Pillars dais for the final time. He had felt each of the other Guardians die, and he felt at peace as he awaited his turn. When he was the last one, Mortanious called out to Kain.

Ariel scowled at him. “Letting the Unspoken work through you seems to have taken its toll.”

Mortanious considered trying to banish her to the spirit realm, but he decided to let her be. “Your vengeance will be soon, Ariel. Kain has served you well.”

“And after he kills you, he will kill himself to right the Balance,” Ariel said.

Mortanious could tell that she was not well, even for a ghost. He decided not to argue. He had watched Kain for years, and the Scion wasn’t the type to martyr himself. He would have to find another way to restore Balance.

It wasn’t Kain’s hand that killed Mortanious, but rather the violent transformation of his body by the thing that was using him. He watched the rest of the battle from beyond the dais. Soon it was over, and Ariel asked Kain for one final task. Naturally the Scion of Balance refused, and the Pillars shattered. It wasn’t simply that the Pillars could no longer bear the strain of corruption, but Kain deliberately released his subconscious efforts to keep enough Balance for the Pillars to remain standing.

When Kain was gone, Ariel floated to the edge of the dais, which was the limit of her tether. “What have you done, Mortanious?”

“It was the choice that Fate dictated for him. I apologize for what you have already endured, but he is still destined to restore Balance somehow.” With that, Mortanious wandered away. He knew that something would find his soul eventually, and then he would know oblivion.


	6. Chapter 6

It was doomsday. The Pillars creaked ominously as if every gust of wind would topple them. Six of the Guardians were dead, and two of the three would soon follow.

Raziel climbed a hill overlooking a garrison south of Stahlberg. There was a tree there, and a young lady was standing in its shade. She held a chain that was around the neck of a large black wolf. Both of them turned before Raziel could react.

“Did you forget how to disguise your appearance?” She asked.

“Sarah, the new appearance suits you, but I thought you wouldn’t come near this place today,” Raziel said as he summoned his own disguise.

“We’re early, but we decided that we wanted to punish Moebius after the Squid revives him,” Sarah said. “I think you’ve met Finneas.”

“You’re from the future,” Raziel said. “Roughly fifty years ago, you told me many things, including how you planned to take Moebius unless I got to him first.”

“That conversation is my future. Unless there is something vital you need to tell me, I don’t want to hear about it,” Sarah said. “If I knew what I said to you, then I would have to say that to you to prevent a nasty little tear in the timeline. It’s starting to get frayed.” 

Sarah continued, “Since we’re taking Moebius today, my future self should have known what your decision was. Moebius’ successor taught me that trick. Give a person options, and they don’t feel like their choice was taken away.”

Raziel was tempted to ask her to lie about the squid, but decided against it. “My decision is to let you have Moebius. I am simply here to make sure he doesn’t escape.”

The wolf growled, and Sarah gazed into the distance while tightening her grip on the chain. The blade on the guillotine was being raised in preparation to kill Vorador. A fledgling Kain arrived just in time to witness the execution. Then the crowd either rushed to attack the fledgling or flee, depending on whether they were hunters or peasants. The younger Kain easily dispatched his enemies until he was left with only Moebius, and soon the Timestreamer was dead.

Once Kain had departed, Sarah removed the chain from around Finneas’ neck and he ran down toward the garrison. There were a few people left milling around the carnage, but he dealt with them. While Finneas was gathering Vorador’s body, Sarah stood over the headless Timestreamer. She hoped that the squid would revive him here rather than teleport his body elsewhere.

Sarah felt the Pillars collapse. It wasn’t just the shockwave, but somehow the wrongness of it resonated in her soul. Her legs became weak as if she were stepping out into a void. A few minutes later, Moebius’ head rolled toward his body and reattached itself. Sarah quickly sprang forward and used a set of green-glowing manacles to bind the former Timestreamer. 

Moebius frowned at Sarah in disgust. “I knew you might try something like this. You shouldn’t have told me what you knew about my master. Five decades is plenty of time to set a trap.”

Just then, a fledgling Kain appeared in a cloud of bats. “So that message was true, you do still live.”

Sarah bowed to Kain. For someone who knew courtly language, it signaled that she considered him far above her station, but also that she was a servant to someone above him. “I don’t want to fight you, but I was told to bring him back alive.”

“I want information. If Moebius doesn’t tell me what I want to know, I shall kill him again,” Kain said.

“As much fun as it would be to watch you torture him, I don’t have the time,” Sarah said. “Help me take him to the Timestreaming device and we’ll see how many of your questions get answered. I promise that we will make him face proper justice for his crimes, especially against you.”

Moebius chuckled darkly as Sarah hauled him to his feet. Raziel, still wearing his illusionary disguise, silently fell into step behind the group.

“Why was I not told that I was a Guardian?” Kain asked.

“It wouldn’t have mattered until it was time for you to die,” Moebius said. “You might even have spared the others, and I’m the only one whose mind wasn’t affected by Nupraptor’s poison. I still would have had to give up my connection to my Pillar to make the coming disaster completely your fault, but my death was a ruse.”

“You knew what choice I would make?” Kain asked.

“I know all of the choices that you will make, each more wicked than the last,” Moebius said.

“I see what he’s doing. Your major choices are predestined, Kain. Take responsibility for what you can, but it’s Moebius’ fault that you’re the last vampire that belongs in this time,” Sarah said. “He might be telling the truth about not being affected by Nupraptor since he’s been evil for thousands of years.”

“Evil‽ Vampires are a pestilence on this world and I am merely trying to remove it,” Moebius said.

“You might as well ask about the next thing, not that he’ll give you a straight answer,” Sarah told Kain.

“What is the disaster you speak of?” Kain asked.

“The health of the world was dependent on the Pillars,” Moebius said. “Now that they lie in ruin, all life will begin to decay for as long as you remain alive.”

“As long as he remains corrupted,” Sarah corrected as they came upon the Timestreaming device. “I’m afraid that this is where we part ways. Thank you for trying to sic Kain on me, Moebutt. Since he’s the one who sent me here, I was able to just follow the script.”

Moebius gasped in shock as he realized his mistake.

“You really have been relying on your powers too much,” Sarah said as she shoved him through the doorway. “Kain, don’t try to follow us. The machine scrambles the settings after it is used and there’s no telling where you’ll end up.”

Raziel, still disguised, was left alone with a fledgling Kain. He had nothing to say to him in this incarnation, or at least nothing that wouldn’t affect his choices in the future. Raziel silently gave a slight nod before leaving, which in courtly manners communicated simple respect between two individuals whose difference in status was unclear.

Kain stood alone in front of the Timestreaming device. He felt that he lacked purpose now, and that perhaps he could find it elsewhen. He stepped into the chamber.

Sarah was alone, and she was singing. A more accurate description was that she was doing the howling part of ‘Just Another Day’ by Oingo Boingo. Much like a shower stall, the acoustics of the chamber made the noise into something tolerable. She noticed Kain and said, “It really is a crapshoot whether or not you do what you’re told.”

“If you stand in my way, it will be your folly,” Kain said as he brandished the Soul Reaver.

“I have instructions from your future self to try and convince you not to mess with this thing yet,” Sarah said.

Kain paused in thought. He did not know that Sarah was telepathic and desperately trying to communicate with the soul that possessed his sword.

Kain said, “There was another woman who told me what to do, and in the end she wanted my death.”

Sarah had a coin of Destiny at that moment. If it landed one way, this story would have a section of Doctor Who parody. If someone else wants to write it, they are welcome to my character as long as she doesn’t rejoin the main branch of my story. This Sarah managed to get the Soul Reaver to recognize her, which gave her a strong chance of survival as chose another path.

Sarah said, “I do not want your death, which is why I’m begging you not to travel through time until you understand it. Moebius’ main link to time is under the chamber he used as a minor oracle. Once you learn how to use it, it will tell you everything you need to know.” 

Kain sighed. “My first encounter with time travel did not end well, so I am reluctant to try again. I will consider seeking out the chamber you describe.”


	7. Chapter 7

It was the evening after the Pillars collapsed, and Kain was in a mood. He desperately stared at Sarah’s murder board, trying to find an angle he had not seen in his hundred of hours that he had already spent obsessing over the problem.

Sarah was trying to help him, as he had directed, but she kept losing her train of thought as she had to dodge Kain frantically pacing to different areas of the room. She gave up and ran when Kain began tearing papers off of the wall in an attempt to narrow down the information.

Raziel returned to the aerie then and Sarah just sighed at him. What was happening was clear to him.

“Stop this, Kain,” Raziel commanded. “It’s over.”

“It cannot be,” Kain said. “There must be some way for you to remain free.”

“And exist like this forever?” Raziel asked. “I am tired of it. I have been for a long time. There is only one task that remains before I complete my Destiny.”

“I don’t think that I can face mine without you,” Kain said.

“I have always been your right hand, even before you realized it,” Raziel said. “I will be with you until the end.”

Kain sighed and nodded. “I will not let everything that I’ve done to you be for nothing.”

“Are you coming with us, Sarah?” Raziel asked.

“I do want to be cleansed, but I’ll wait outside the chamber until you’re ready,” Sarah said.

Janos had given Raziel his key centuries ago, but Kain had no idea how he would open the outer chamber. He approached the door and frowned because the Balance Emblem was waiting for him, and a layer of dust around it indicated that it had been lying there undisturbed for some time.

“Moebius didn’t know that he was worshipping a giant squid,” Sarah said. “Maybe he thought that it could somehow trick you.”

“It seems like a paltry and desperate ploy if that is the case,” Kain said. He placed the Balance Emblem into the door and it opened, releasing several hundred gallons of water. Kain turned into mist and calmly walked to the edge of the deluge’s reach.

Despite wearing water resistant boots, Sarah made a series of undignified yelping noises as she leaped onto Raziel. By the time it reached him, it didn’t even cover his feet.

“Baby,” Raziel muttered as he shifted her weight to a more comfortable position.

In lieu of being able to make a decent comeback, Sarah just harrumphed. She stared into the recently-flooded chamber. Water was still flowing up from the oracle pool. “It looks like an overflowing toilet. All that’s missing is the shit and the butt-wipes.”

“Show some respect, little girl,” The Elder God said.

“Wow, he sounds just like Tony Jay to me. He’s the first person… sorry, thing, that actually sounds exactly like his voice actor,” Sarah said excitedly. She figured that Raziel must have heard his voice differently, since he never mentioned it. “Can you laugh? Or… say something else threatening.”

“Sarah,” Raziel said quietly. “I’m the only one who is allowed to heckle it.”

“Right. Do not taunt Cthulhu,” Sarah said.

Vampires rarely sneezed. They also did not respond to another person sneezing, much less by blessing them. To Raziel, it sounded almost like a mangled demonic cussword.

The water stopped overflowing from the pool, leaving only wet stone surrounding it. “Come closer. You have the heart to become my new servant since you have taken my most loyal one from me.”

Raziel set Sarah down, but she held his left talon firmly in her grasp. Together they approached the pool.

Sarah gazed into the pool. “I know what you are.”

“You suspect the truth, but you have driven that possibility from your mind,” The Elder God said. “I am willing to strike a deal with you for Raziel’s life.”

“What is he talking about?” Kain asked.

“I don’t know,” Sarah said.

“Let her sit with me a while,” The Elder God said. “She is beyond the rules of this world, making many things possible.”

“I’m scared, but also curious,” Sarah said. “I promise not to do anything without asking you two, first.”

“This is not a good idea,” Raziel said.

“I know,” Sarah said. “Let them through to the spirit forge. I want Kain to be able to see you.”

“You think that game is reality?” The Elder God asked. “The ending is a fiction suited for a world that would reject it if the heroes lost.”

“Then you have nothing to lose,” Sarah said.

The hallway leading to the inner sanctum had a collapsed section that could only be traversed by swimming. Raziel watched as a tentacle furthered the collapse to let the water drain. “I don’t like this. I don’t like any of it. If I still had skin on my arms, it would be crawling.”

“It is unsettling when an enemy provides an opening,” Kain said.

Igniting the forge was relatively simple. Unlike the game, instead of Ariel representing all of the former Balance Guardians, six of them appeared.

The first Guardian approached Kain. “You have fractured your soul.”

Another one also approached. “We saw this in the prophecies. This is why the sword was made.”

Ariel stepped forward. “First, I owe him an apology. Kain, I’m sorry. I did not see that the state of the world was my fault, and your death would not have restored Balance for long.”

“Does this mean that you are finally released from your vigil?” Kain asked.

Ariel nodded. “Our combined knowledge will become embedded in your soul, and we shall know oblivion.”

The souls merged into a blinding light. Raziel reached out to them and his sword blazed with power. He then tentatively brought the blade to Kain’s chest. “It seems that I cannot return what is yours without destroying myself. Let us depart this place.”

Both Raziel and Kain saw that the squid’s tentacles emerged from the Oracle Pool. Sarah, oblivious to them, was quietly singing. “Like fire, hellfire. This fire in my skin. This burning... desire... is turning me to sin.”

Heedless of the damage to her body, Raziel dove forward and drove the Reaver into her chest. Her eyes widened at getting stabbed once again, but they narrowed as she finally saw the Elder God. She did not resist as Raziel dragged her from the chamber.

Safely away from the Citadel, Kain asked, “What did you learn?”

“Assuming that everything it told me wasn’t a lie?” Sarah asked. “It promised not to eat me if I served it. It’s tempting, but I’d rather see you kill it.”

“Did it tell you anything else?” Raziel asked. “It said it would strike a deal for my life.”

“It said that it was you,” Sarah said. “The temporal mechanics of keeping you out of the sword got kinda fuzzy at the end, but it seems valid at first glance.”

“Do you believe it?” Raziel asked.

“It was more of a ‘who cares’ moment,” Sarah said. “You don’t have a good track record as far as getting along with your other incarnations. I wouldn’t expect you to go all sentimental now.”

“Don’t presume to predict what my choices would be, but in this case you are right. It doesn’t matter. I hate that thing and I want it destroyed.” Raziel then remembered that it would not be completely obliterated, just reduced and contained.


	8. Chapter 8

Raziel had intended to go quietly to his prison once he purified his weapon and Kain’s soul along with it. Naturally the squid had disrupted his plans with what could be just a clever ruse. He stared as Sarah used chalk to draw timelines on the floor.

“You realize that it doesn’t matter if that squid was telling the truth,” Raziel said.

Sarah dusted her hands and nodded. “It’s just scared of Kain.”

“That mural of Kain was there. They knew what he looked like even if they did get his complexion wrong,” Raziel said.

“Maybe someday he will turn into one of them. Then again, most pictures of Jesus in my world have him looking like he came from the North.” Sarah frowned at one of the looped drawings and started scuffing it out with her foot.

“Are you tempted to take the squid up on its offer?” Raziel asked.

“It didn’t offer anything that I really wanted more than it ceasing to exist.” Sarah held up a hand. “If I did make any deals that affect you, it would be on your say-so. I don’t want you to go, but I’m not going to try and stop you.”

“Your apparent disregard for my fate would be maddening if I didn’t understand why you seem not to care sometimes.” Raziel noticed that tears were running down her face though she was trying to pretend that she wasn’t crying. He walked forward and offered her a hug. 

She squeezed him tightly, sniffled a little, but still managed to keep most of her composure. “I’m trying not to think about how much I’ll miss you."

“Thank you for respecting that it is my choice alone.” Raziel ran his claws through her hair. “You have access to a time machine. You will be able to see me a few more times after I am gone.”

Sarah sighed. “When are you going?”

“Soon, probably today,” Raziel said. “I consider you my greatest friend, but Kain might feel that you’re intruding if you are there.”

Sarah nodded. “This is goodbye enough. I don’t need to watch.”

Kain was sitting in the dark when Raziel entered the room. Clutched in his talon was a tiny pebble. Over the years, Raziel had seen Kain slowly wearing it down, and now it was almost too small for him to hold without telekinesis. Kain dismissed it into his pocket dimension.

“It’s time, Kain,” Raziel said softly.

Kain cast a spell, and the room was filled with soft light. Wordlessly, he stood and took up the Reaver. The only thing he could say would spoil the moment by starting another useless argument. Raziel nodded, and Kain impaled his son.

Raziel knew pain, and he didn’t make a sound as the sword plunged into his chest. He put his talons on Kain’s chest to steady himself, but he felt strangely light. His wraith blade dissipated into Kain, and Raziel gazed into his sire’s eyes.

Kain grimaced in rage. Raziel was afraid that Kain would try and stop the process, so he put his talon over Kain’s on the hilt of the sword. Raziel felt himself weakening, and he was at peace. Within a moment, it was over.

Kain stood in shock at what he had just done. Then he collapsed. He had felt sadness, regret, and loss, but never so keenly. He choked back a sob, but the next one overwhelmed him.

It took hours for Kain to compose himself. He checked his reflection for any sign that he had been crying and rubbed away a patch of wetness left on his cheek. He strode out to where Sarah was waiting and said, “Gather your belongings. This time is of no further use to us.”

“I’m ready.” Sarah’s cheeks were covered in the fluid that vampires used to lubricate their eyes.

“Clean yourself up,” Kain said.

Sarah took out a cloth and moistened it with her own saliva before scrubbing away her tears. She telepathically whispered to Raziel, “Are you alright in there?”

“How many days has it been?” He asked.

“Not many,” Sarah whispered.

“Did you just lie to me?” Raziel asked.

“It can’t have been more than a few hours,” Sarah whispered. “Try not to think about that. It gets easier once you stop caring.”

The Reaver pulsed with energy. Kain drew his sword and looked at it. “Sarah, are you able to communicate with him?”

Sarah nodded. “I just did. He’s not exactly suffering, but he is anxious. I’ll keep listening and try to keep him calm.”

As they entered the Time Streaming chamber, Sarah said, “Wait.” She took Kain’s talon in both hands, and he was transported into a mindscape. It resembled the main courtyard of Raziel’s keep, but some of the angles didn’t match up properly. It was as if it was built according to a mad architect’s smeared design.

Raziel himself was huddled on the stairs, whimpering. His scarf was loose, revealing his lack of face. When he saw Sarah, he asked, “Have you come to laugh at me some more?”

She stopped beyond arm's length and crouched down. “Raziel, we talked about this. Your mind will play tricks on you and you’ll see things that aren’t real.”

“You were gloating at successfully manipulating me into this prison,” Raziel said.

“That’s not true,” Sarah said. “I shared everything with you in hopes that you could find a way out of this. You decided to stop fighting.”

Raziel lunged at her, raking his talons across her face. He stood, staring at the blood. “The illusions didn’t feel pain.”

Kain had rushed forward and tried to grab Raziel, but it seemed that he was invisible and intangible, a helpless observer to what happened.

“I’m really here,” Sarah said. “The illusions might start saying that too, but right now I’m willing to stay and try to ease you into your new existence.”

“I need something to hold on to,” Raziel said.

Kain’s consciousness faded back into reality, but Sarah stood insensate. She became limp as he picked her up. Kain whispered to her, “Will you be safe with him?”

“Safe enough,” came her whispered reply. “He might feel better if you feed him, or it might make things worse.”


End file.
